Kitten (CD)

Kitten

Amoeba Review

06/23/2014

L.A. duo Kitten’s self-titled debut is a blast of ’80s radio pop updated and given a millennial edge by cool-as-sh*t lead singer Chloe Chaidez. The 19-year-old frontwoman sings and whips her hair gleefully through synth-pop jam “Like a Stranger,” blending the freestyle of a band like Exposé or T’Pau with dream pop cool, giving Chvrches a run for their money in making radio rock fun again. “Sex Drive” takes its cues from the Prince camp, Chaidez’s libido-fueled growl and bandmate Zack Bilson’s nasty riffs sounding like the second coming of Apollonia 6. Similarly to Sky Ferreira, Chaidez and Bilson are able to transform a childhood growing up listening to Madonna and KROQ into instantly enjoyable pop-rock gems, with songs like “I’ll Be Your Girl” sounding both new and nostalgic at the same time, while songs like the heavy, shoegazing “G#” retain some edge. Kitten may not be the most original band—“Sensible” pretty heavily rips off Crystal Castles, among other lifts—but you’ll probably be too busy dancing in your seat to care. By the time they get to the previously released “Cut It Out” (from the EP of the same name), a perfect slice of shimmering, sad girl pop, you’re sold and ready to follow Chaidez as she slips into Gwen Stefani’s old crop tops and works up a storm of smart, well-referenced yet modern and always fun pop music. Where has music like this been for the past 15 or so years? Guess we just needed Kitten to bring it back.